Month: April 2016

The Interfaith Climate Change Statement to World Leaders (2016) outlines religious leaders and faith communities positive judgement of the adopted Paris Agreement and urges for its prompt signature and ratification by governments so that it can come into force as soon as possible. It also insists that there is a significant increase in the current levels of ambition relating to emission reductions, financial flows, adaptation, loss and damage and a swift phase out of fossil fuel subsidies – so as to keep temperatures within reach of 1.5C.

The official countdown to this year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics has begun with the lighting of the torch at the site of the ancient Games, which organisers hoped would shift attention away from Brazil’s political and financial turmoil.

The High-level Thematic Debate on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) took place on Thursday, 21 April 2016, at UN Headquarters in New York. Following opening keynote speeches, plenary convened throughout the day for national statements on the theme “Action at All Levels: National Implementation.” In the morning, two panels took place on the theme “Financing poverty eradication and sustainable development,” addressing successful frameworks and strategies for financing SDGs and the paradigm shift towards low carbon societies, and enhancing international cooperation in tax and financial matters.

Extremism’ is on everyone’s lips and every newspaper’s front page. It is viewed by many as public enemy number one. The rise of ‘religious’ terrorism has provoked new and sometimes no less extremist responses from those who feel threatened. Moderate majorities are being labelled as ‘extremists’ simply because they share the religion of violent minorities. Division and polarization are growing by the hour and threatening a new global chaos.

Tera Cafe is part of a flourishing phenomenon in Japan where Buddhist monks are seeking to make inroads in the modern world as the public’s connection with a 15-century-old tradition fades. Gone are the days when the faithful would drop by their neighborhood temple to talk to a monk over tea.

On 28-29 March 2016, U Myint Swe, President of RfP Myanmar and Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, Deputy Secretary General of RfP International, visited Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar, the scene of major inter-communal violence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in 2012. Further sporadic outbreaks since then have left scores dead and over 140,000 displaced.